If you’ve missed a payment on your credit card (or line of credit) and you’re wondering how this will impact your creditworthiness down the road, this article is for you. But before we get started, if you have an overdue balance on any of your credit cards at this exact moment, go, make the minimum payment right […]

The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 1/4 per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 1 1/2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 per cent. Global growth remains solid and broad-based. In the United States, new government spending and previously-announced tax cuts are anticipated to boost […]

No doubt about it, buying a home is an emotional experience. It’s a game of balancing needs and wants, while trying to be honest with yourself about those very needs and wants. It’s hard to get it right, figuring out what’s negotiable and what isn’t… what you can live with and what you can’t live without. […]

The BC Government released Budget 2018 today. As it relates to housing, the government made changes to the foreign buyers tax, and added a new speculation tax. Foreign Buyers Tax – This is really an enhancement to the tax that is already in place, effective Wednesday, the government will increase the foreign buyers tax from 15% […]

Recently the good people over at Nest Wealth published an article called “The Worst Money Advice We’ve Ever Heard”. On the list was “Always keep a small balance on your credit card”. What they have to say on the subject is spot on: Someone, somewhere, starting telling people that keeping a small balance on your […]

More than a third of first-time homebuyers in Canada are single. If you’re thinking of joining this group, here’s what you need to do and know before jumping into homeownership. Study the market. Identify neighbourhoods you want to live in and check to see how much properties in that area are selling for. Next, figure […]

This article was written by Sandi Martin of Spring Personal Finance and was originally published here on Spring The Blog on Oct. 27th 2015. Does This Sound Familiar? You’ve read a book or a blog series or watched a show about budgeting and getting your money under control. You’re all fired up, ready to really […]

While we may think we dislike our work, research shows we’re considerably less happy doing nothing. The great paradox of working for a living, according to a recent longread by Derek Thompson for The Atlantic, is “that while many people hate their jobs, they are considerably more miserable doing nothing.” The research backs this up. […]

A home is the largest purchase most people will make in their lives. That should reinforce the importance of planning ahead, doing your research, relying on the advice of experts and not rushing through the process. With nearly 700,000 homes purchased in Canada each year, there’s no shortage of anecdotes about the issues and surprises that can […]

The Bank of Canada today increased its target for the overnight rate to 1 1/4 per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 1 1/2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 per cent. Recent data have been strong, inflation is close to target, and the economy is operating roughly at capacity. However, uncertainty surrounding […]